UN Experts to Issue Recommendations on Melilla Border Tragedy to Morocco and Spain

In trying to force their way through the Melilla fence, 23 sub-Saharan Africans and Moroccan police officers died last June. The tragedy has produced various reactions around the world. Some experts have even proposed to Morocco "We want to give concrete recommendations to the two governments to end this cycle of deadly encounters between Africans and security forces," said Judge Mokgoro, the South African chairman of the mechanism, in a statement.

The UN experts call on Morocco and Spain to report on the progress of the investigations launched into the deaths recorded when migrants tried to jump the fence separating Morocco from Spain. The working group is asking for information on Spanish and Moroccan regulations on the use of force in such cases, and stressed that they "should be guided by the principles of legality, precaution, necessity, proportionality, accountability and non-discrimination."

The day after the tragedy, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recalled the need to "prioritize the safety of migrants and refugees" in such events.